Word to the Wise
Friday, March 18, 2022 - 2nd Week of Lent - Fri
[Gen 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a and Matt 21:33-43, 45-46]"Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit." [Matthew]
Jesus speaks these words to "the chief priests and elders of the people" at the end of a parable about the owner of a vineyard and the tenants, who refuse to give the owner his share of the crop according to their agreement. It takes the chief priests and elders a moment, but then they realize Jesus is speaking about them and challenging their conduct as leaders of the faith. Their behavior reflected what is all too common in persons of "power." They began to think THEY own the vineyard and were not accountable to anyone else except themselves. They had forgotten Isaiah's vision of the vineyard and what would happen when the caretakers fail in their responsibility. [Isaiah 5:1-7] They had forgotten Ezekiel's thunderous condemnation of bad shepherds {Ezekiel 34:1-16]. Their reaction is one of resentment and determination to get rid of Jesus, and on one level they ultimately succeed - i.e. they have him crucified.
Leadership is not the same as ownership. Each role brings responsibilities of its own. In our Catholic Church, it is all too easy to succumb to the temptations of power which cause leaders to consider a realm of responsibility as their personal property. Woe betide the person(s) who challenge that leadership for failure to enable those whom they lead to cultivate or shepherd and regard the owner's rightful claims as non-existent. I remember listening to the passage from Ezekiel when I was a student brother in Dominican formation and feeling intimidated by my future responsibility.
God is the owner. The rest of us are tenants. From Pope to pew person, that fact has to continually be kept in mind. None of us "owns" the church or has some kind of exclusive franchise on "grace". Our responsibility is to exercise best practices to maximize the crop of grapes or quality of wool. We are accountable to the Owner. Can our Lenten observance remind us of this? Or do we just want to get rid of that upstart from Nazareth who threatens us? AMEN